Kids' Eating: How can I help my underweight toddler gain weight?
The best way to get a toddler to gain weight is by offering calorie-dense, healthy foods. These include foods like avocados, bananas, tofu, whole-grain pastas and eggs with omega-three fatty acids.
Use whole milk products like yogurt and cheeses, and cook foods in healthy plant oils, like olive oil or canola oil. Mix flax-meal into foods for a boost of calories as well as a boost of omega-three fatty acids.
For an older child, you might include nuts and nut products as a high-calorie, healthy choice.
Being creative and consistent with healthy food choices is the best way to succeed. Do not offer non-nutritious junk food just for the sake of adding calories. This scenario often leads to poor kids'-eating habits as the child grows—and then instead of being underweight, the child becomes overweight.
Remember that as the parent, you are in charge of the foods you give your child, and your child gets to decide what and how much of those foods he will eat.
Use whole milk products like yogurt and cheeses, and cook foods in healthy plant oils, like olive oil or canola oil. Mix flax-meal into foods for a boost of calories as well as a boost of omega-three fatty acids.
For an older child, you might include nuts and nut products as a high-calorie, healthy choice.
Being creative and consistent with healthy food choices is the best way to succeed. Do not offer non-nutritious junk food just for the sake of adding calories. This scenario often leads to poor kids'-eating habits as the child grows—and then instead of being underweight, the child becomes overweight.
Remember that as the parent, you are in charge of the foods you give your child, and your child gets to decide what and how much of those foods he will eat.
Answered by
Dr. Mary Ellen Renna
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